I am struggling with how application start-up works in Express. I am going to explain my use-case:
I have a configuration-Manager module which is used by all other application modules to load required configuration. I am setting configuration in app.listen:
app.listen(9000, function () {
try
{
config_manager.setSiteConfig();
console.log('settings..!!!')
}
catch(err)
{
console.log(err.stack);
}
});
In another module of the same application I call the Configuration-Manager function to load config, but it returns empty. Code is something like this:
var config_manager = require('configuration-manager');
console.log(config_manager.loadConfig()); // returns empty object {}
I am running the application using node app.js. The empty object gets printed first then ('settings..!!!'). Does Express compile the script before calling app.listen()? How do I make sure that my configuration is set before compilation/loading other files?
Express indeed first processes all statements in a file, basically anything that isn't in a function on startup.
In your case var config_manager = require('configuration-manager');
console.log(config_manager.loadConfig()); // returns empty object {} is executed before your app.listen because you are requering the config before the app.listen.
You're best off processing your configuration right after the first time it is required (if app.js is your main file, this means the first time it comes across a require statement pointing to configuration-manager in any file).
This should make your code work:
var config_manager = require('configuration-manager');
try {
config_manager.setSiteConfig();
} catch(err) {
console.log(err.stack);
}
console.log(config_manager.loadConfig()); // returns empty object {}
and then
app.listen(9000, function () {
console.log('settings..!!!', config_manager.loadConfig()) // Should correctly print your config
});
If this doesn't work the problem does not lay in the order of execution.
Related
I'm havin trouble getting an exported function to run.
My secondary file looks like this:
require("dotenv").config()
// ...
function requestConsent(req, res) {
res.redirect(308, process.env.MY_URL + dictToURI(myHTTPparams)));
}
// ...
function dictToURI(d) {
doSomeStuff(d);
}
// ...
exports.requestConsent = requestConsent
My main file looks like this:
const api = require("./api.js")
const express = require("express")
const app = express()
// ...
app.get("/login", api.requestConsent);
// ...
When I execute this, dictToUrl works perfectly fine, but process.env.MY_URL always evaluates to undefined, even when I replace it with a string literal. It worked without issues before the functions to a seperate file.
How can I fix this? (Aside from moving it back)
As the function is in a required file, any breakpoints I set there are skipped and any console output is not visible (I'm using WebStorm 2018.3).
The problem wasn't in my code at all: My browser had a broken forwarding cached, therefor the code in question was never called in the first place.
Hi I found a framework where they use a lot this pattern.
exports.install = function(){
//code
}
but usually you see this pattern in nodejs
module.exports = {
//code
}
Is this the same thing or is this something else ?
exports is the object corresponding to module.exports before you do anything to it. I think it's due to some legacy code, but basically folks use module.exports if they want to replace the whole object with their own object or a function, while they use exports if they just want to hang functions off the module. It's a little confusing at first, but essentially exports.install just means that calling code would do something like:
const mod = require('that-module');
mod.install(params, callback); // call that function
The framework you're looking at is probably using it as part of a bootstrapping process, afaik it doesn't have significance to the node engine itself.
Yes, it is the same thing. You can use one of 2 ways to setup your code.
The different thing is memory. They point to same memory. You can think exports like a variable and you can not use this way to export your module:
Given this module:
// test.js
exports = {
// you can not use this way to export module.
// because at this time, `exports` points to another memory region
// and it did not lie on same memory with `module.exports`
sayHello: function() {
console.log("Hello !");
}
}
The following code will get the error: TypeError: test.sayHello is not a function
// app.js
var test = require("./test");
test.sayHello();
// You will get TypeError: test.sayHello is not a function
The correct way you must use module.exports to export your module:
// test.js
module.exports = {
// you can not use this way to export module.
sayHello: function() {
console.log("Hello !");
}
}
// app.js
var test = require("./test");
test.sayHello();
// Console prints: Hello !
So, it just is style of developer.
i am working on a project in which a nodejs program calls another program in a separate file.
this is how i've added the two:
var ocr = require('./index.js'); //this imports the file
var arr = ocr.ocr_pan(); //this calls the function in that file
am not sure but I guess the problem is that the process resumes before ocr.ocr_pan() returns the result and var arr becomes undefined.
or there is some problem in returning the result from ocr.ocr_pan()
I simply use return.
and I have also tried this : How to return array from module in NodeJS
didn't work
what more can be done?
Assuming that this file is the same directory as index.js file, code in index.js should be something like this:
// Write your function
var ocr_pan = function() {
// Do whatever you like
return result;
};
// Export it, make publicly visible to other files
module.exports = {
ocr_pan: ocr_pan
};
I'm using Express and Passport for node.js to build a simple web server, I coded a simple module and then I loaded the module inside a GET request, everything works great until more than one user access the request.
I use to believe that a "var" inside an "app.get" function was removed from memory after the function finished, but isn't the case, I use some local variables inside the external module and the values are being shared between users, the module looks like this:
var some_value=0;
function some_method(){
some_value++;
return some_value;
}
exports.some_method = some_method;
And the Express request code looks like this:
app.get('/someurl', function(req, res) {
var some_extermal_module = require('/some_extermal_module'); // <-----Right way?
var data = some_extermal_module.some_method();
res.render('view', {
title : 'Title',
data_to_vew: data
});
});
An object inside a "app.get" request stays always in memory regardless of is being accessed by a different user?
How to clean a "var" object after it runs?
How can I avoid this memory conflicts?
Do I have to code differently the module or call differently the module?
Thanks a lot.
UPDATE: I guess this is a proper solution but I need the review of some node.js/Express expert for approval it or correction.
app.js:
var ext_mod = require('./module');
var express = require('express');
var app = express();
app.get('/', function(req, res){
var ex_mod_instance = new ext_mod({});
ex_mod_instance.func_a({},function(ret){
res.send('Hello World: '+ret);
});
ex_mod_instance = null; // clean
});
app.listen(8080);
console.log('Listening on port 8080');
module.js:
var node_module = function(config) {
this.config = config;
this.counter=0;
};
node_module.prototype = {
func_a: function(param,done) {
this.counter++;
done(this.counter);
},
func_b: function(param,done) {
}
};
module.exports = node_module;
Is this the best way to save memory (leaks)?
Every time a function is called you do get "clean" local variables in the local scope. Modules are for the purpose of writing clean, organized code, so that you do not have every function and variable in the global scope. I believe require does cache the module, so maybe you are having a problem with variables in the closure around the function exported from the module. You'll have to include more code.
One way you could solve this is by exporting a function that creates the module. That function could be your constructor, which will scope your counter locally.
Again, this is one solution.
Your variable 'some_value' is global in the context of the module. So each time a request use this module, it uses the same variable.
(Require does cache the modules wich are loaded only the first time)
I can think of 2 ways to achieve this:
either you want one variable per request, and you declare this variable in the module function, or in the res.locals.some_value if you want to use it in many functions during the same request
either you want one variable per user, and then you need to use express session middleware, and add the variable to req.session.some_value
I have RequireJS implemented fine, and a Grunt based build process which is optimizing the all the JS files app into one file via r.js which is also working fine. All my app files are concatenated into one big JS file for efficient production deployment.
Now I'm having the following requirements:
I need to write a plugin for requirejs, that will not load(not include the file) into the optimized file in the build process, but will required on demand:
Meaning in my code I'll have:
var myObj = require("myplugIn!jsFile");
So in the end when this line runs, it will runs in 2 options:
on build process, the file is not included in the optimized file
The application is running, it will be request the file on demand.
I wrote the following plugin, but is not working:
define(function () {
"use strict";
return {
load : function (name, req, onload, config) {
// we go inside here we are running the application not in build process
if (!config.isBuild) {
req([name], function () {
onload(arguments[0]);
});
}
}
};
});
What I'm missing here.
In your build configuration you can exclude files that you don't want to bundle. They will still be loaded on demand when needed. You may also do something like this:
define(function (){
// module code...
if (condition){
require(['mymodule'], function () {
// execute when mymodule has loaded.
});
}
}):
This way mymodule will be loaded only if condition is met. And only once, if you use same module dependency elsewhere it will return loaded module.
It was more simpler that I though, if helps someone, I'm posting the solution, I create a plugin , that in build process return nothing and in run time, returns the required file, hope helps someone.
define(function () {
"use strict";
return {
load : function (name, req, onload, config) {
if (config.isBuild) {
onload(null);
} else {
req([name], function () {
onload(arguments[0]);
});
}
}
};
});